Origin

Mid 19th century (denoting a devotee of bullfighting): from Spanish, 'amateur', past participle of aficioner 'become fond of' used as a noun, based on Latinaffectio(n-) '(favorable) disposition toward' (see affection).

This started out as a term for a devotee of bullfighting. It is a Spanish word meaning ‘amateur’, now used to describe any ardent follower of an activity. Examples of this extended usage date from the 1880s. Compare amateur